10 Fun Behind-The-Scenes Facts About Are You Afraid Of The Dark?

From watching the main characters sit around a campfire to the memorable stories told in each episode, it’s no wonder that fans are still so nostalgic for 90s kids series Are You Afraid Of The Dark? Scary tales are very tempting for children and pre-teens who aren’t quite sure if they should be hearing what they’re hearing, and the storytelling was top-notch.

90s kids loved watching both Goosebumps and Are You Afraid Of The Dark?, and it’s interesting to learn more about what it was like making Are You Afraid Of The Dark? From a familiar name who was almost cast to details about that iconic campfire, there is lots of fun behind-the-scenes trivia.

10 Ryan Gosling Was Offered A Part

Viewers remember The Midnight Society, which had some beloved characters and some who weren’t that great, and it’s interesting to hear that a very famous actor could have joined the cast.

Ryan Gosling was offered a part in the Midnight Society and, according to Mental Floss, he joined The Mickey Mouse Club, so he wasn’t able to star on the show. This is a particularly fun fact, as Ryan Gosling starred in the Goosebumps episode “Say Cheese and Die.”

9 The Show Almost Had Another Name

Are You Afraid Of The Dark? is a great title for a kid’s horror show, but, according to Mental Floss, the show had another name at first: Scary Tales.

Nickelodeon higher-ups weren’t fans, though, and one of the creators, D. J. MacHale, explained in an interview that he was inspired by the Dr. Seuss story What Was I Scared Of? MacHale said, “well, I was afraid of clowns, and I was afraid of the dark …’ And that’s where the title [of our show] came from: Kind of an answer to that Dr. Seuss title.”

8 Some Stories Have Classic Inspirations

Several episodes scared viewers, especially “The Tale Of The Ghastly Grinner,” as it took a classic clown story and made it even more compelling and unnerving.

Sometimes, the Are You Afraid Of The Dark? stories feel a bit familiar, and it turns out that was done on purpose. In an interview with Complex, MacHale said that Nickelodeon wanted the show to “try to find literary and classic antecedents.” He mentioned that episodes in season one were “jumping off of classic short stories.”

7 A Famous Line Was A Tribute To The Twilight Zone

Before telling each story, a character would say, “submitted for approval by The Midnight Society, I call this story…” and then say the title. Viewers always looked forward to this line since it was a signal that a spooky tale was about to be told.

This was a tribute to The Twilight Zone. According to Buzzfeed, Rod Serling would speak to the camera in every episode and he would say, “submitted for your approval…”

6 The Midnight Society Campfire Scenes Filmed On A Soundstage

The stories in each Are You Afraid Of The Dark? episode are well-written and compelling, and they are made even better since the members of the Midnight Society tell them around a campfire. This adds a creepy vibe that is perfect.

While the campfire looks totally real, those scenes were filmed on a soundstage, according to Buzzfeed. The wood set was created for each season. Every season’s campfire scenes would be filmed in a period of a week.

5 The Pitch Was About Fairy Tales

Fans rate many episodes highly according to IMDb, as everyone loves a good horror story, especially told around a campfire.

D.J. MacHale shared that, when he pitched the series, it was going to be about fairy tales. He told Bustle in an interview that he and co-creator Ned Kandel thought of the idea as “some old-time actor guy sitting in front of a nice warm fireplace, telling fairy tales.” They were concerned that would be dull and later decided that scary stories would be a better idea.

4 The Fire’s Dust Was Actually A Non-Dairy Product

Many of the stories feature horrifying monsters, and every episode started and ended in a scary manner, as a campfire in the woods always evokes a terrifying mood.

Storytellers would always throw some powder into the fire before beginning their tales. According to Complex, the dust was actually a non-dairy creamer. An odd inclusion, to be sure, we have to wonder why the Midnight Society saw fit to throw powdered non-dairy products in a fire.

3 The Kids Didn’t Light The Fire On Camera For A Reason

Since the campfire was practically a character itself on the show, it might seem strange that the Midnight Society members were never shown to light the fire.

This was actually done for a reason; the network didn’t want kids learning how to start fire. MacHale told Vulture.com that the network was concerned that children watching would start a fire in their homes.

2 MacHale Knew Adding Humor Would Work Well

Fans rated some episodes pretty low on IMDb, but the best Are You Afraid Of The Dark? stories were a blend of horror and comedy. This was done for a reason, and it makes a lot of sense.

MacHale knew it would be a good idea to add humor to the show. According to Vulture, he said, “The funny stuff is a natural component. It’s a tension reliever. Most of the stories are so heightened anyway, it’s natural to add some level of humor.”

1 One Episode Was Based On An Interesting Location

There are classic episodes that fans remember, and then there are many interesting tales that have some cool behind-the-scenes trivia.

The episode “The Tale of the Hatching” was filmed at a school, and, according to Mental Floss, MacHale explained that, when he went to a water purification plant with a location scout, he saw tanks, and he was inspired to write a scary story about lizard people who had tanks with eggs floating inside of them.

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Aya Tsintziras
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Aya Tsintziras is a freelance writer who writes about pop culture and TV. She has a Political Science degree from the University of Toronto and a Masters of Journalism from Ryerson University. She loves coffee, reading, working out, and watching TV. She lives in Toronto with her husband.

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